Imagination plans PowerVR R&D center, seeks engineers

LONDON – Multimedia processor licensor Imagination Technologies Group plc (Kings Langley, England) has selected Bristol as the location for a design center for PowerVR graphics cores and multimedia R&D.

The company said the quality of engineering talent and the strength of universities in electronics in the area were key factors in the decision.

Imagination did not say how much money it would spend over what period of time creating the Bristol R&D center. "We very much hope to get 15 to 20 people in the short term but ultimately the site size and the spend will be limited by how many people of a suitable caliber we can attract," said a company spokesperson. "That said our hope is that the Bristol site might well be our largest in the UK outside HQ, given the strength of the silicon industry around there," he added.

Imagination has more than 1,000 staff of which over 80 percent are degree qualified and more than 70 percent are based in the U.K. PowerVR R&D teams have been mainly based at Imagination's headquarters in Kings Langley near London. The company also has design centers in Leeds and Chepstow.

Imagination has appointed Saeid Azmoodeh to be director of engineering at the Centre. Imagination is recruiting now for engineers at all levels, from graduate to highly experienced with skills in hardware, software, architecture and verification.

"Our new Bristol Design Centre provides opportunities for engineers based in the West Country to join Imagination in the development of our innovative and industry leading PowerVR graphics and related IP cores," said John Metcalfe, chief operating officer of Imagination, in a statement.